SBIRS GEO-2 (Atlas V)ULA Tweetup - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station - 19 March 2013
Page Five of Five

The news media and the social media participants collected at the Air Force Space and Missile History Center to await our escorts out to the launch viewing area.

Out at the launch viewing area, the threat of bad weather did not materialize by launch time happily making the weather conditions for launch almost perfect.

The news media get ready for the launch.

A view across the water shows the old Titan facilities at left and SLC 41 at right.

The Atlas V lifted off at 5:21 p.m. making for another on time ULA launch.

A slight halo of water vapor momentarily appeared below the payload fairing as the Atlas V broke through the sound barrier.

The exhaust plume enlarges as the atmosphere thins out at high altitudes.

An enlarged view processed to bring out the plume and the fiery exhaust from the RD-180 engines as the Atlas roars into space is the last sight we saw before the rocket vanished in the sky. The launch ended the social media gathering. Kudos to ULA and the Air Force for hosting this two day event.